The present invention pertains to fishing apparatus, and more particularly to an improved crab trap.
Prior art crab traps include those having substantially rectangular structures constructed of a wire mesh having four sides which drop to an open position upon lowering the crab trap to the bottom of a body of water. Bait is affixed therein and the crabs are theoretically able to enter the interior of the trap through one of the open side areas. Lifting the trap is supposed to cause the sides to raise to their closed positions thereby trapping the crabs which are feeding upon the bait.
In actual use, side areas will many times not drop to the open position due to tangling of the lines to which they are attached. Furthermore, in some instances, even if all four sides do not drop to the open position, a subsequent tangling of the lines may likely prevent one or more of the sides from being withdrawn to the closed position upon lifting and thereby permitting the crabs to escape the trap.
In an attempt to overcome the problems created by the failure of the sides to lower to the open position, other prior art crab traps included trap doors which are spring loaded into the open position prior to lowering the trap to the bottom of the body of water. Although an improvement over the other type of crab trap, this trap still utilizes a line for operating the trap door release mechanism, which line is prone to entanglement with itself and other elements of the trap.
The present invention obviates the above described problems by providing an apparatus having at least one spring loaded trap cover which positively swings from an open position to a closed position upon release by a pneumatically operated release mechanism. The pneumatically operated release mechanism is connected to a pneumatic release activator by means of a length of flexible tubing in the preferred embodiment.
Prior to lowering into the body of water, the spring loaded trap cover is set in the open position. The apparatus is then lowered into the body of water by means of a lowering device which pays out the flexible tubing. The crab trap is lowered to the bottom of the body of water and the user awaits the entry of crabs therein. After a predetermined wait, the user operates the pneumatic activator which causes operation of the pneumatically activated release means which releases spring loaded trap covers from its preset open position to the closed position. All crabs located under the trap covers will be immediately trapped thereby. The trap is then raised from the body of water by means of the flexible tubing.
Therefore, it is one object of the present invention to provide an improved crab trap which minimizes the possibility of faulty operation due to entanglement of the attached line.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved crab trap having a trap cover which immediately closes upon the pneumatic activation of a pneumatically operated release device.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improved crab trap in which the trap cover can be preset to the open position prior to lowering the trap to the bottom of the body of water by means of a flexible pneumatic tube.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an improved crab trap having a trap cover which is spring loaded and immediately snaps to the closed position upon activation of the pneumatically operated release device.